12/30/10

Going out to look at Christmas lights is undoubtedly one of my favorite parts of the entire holiday season. Every year on Thanksgiving, my family treks out to see the Plaza lights get turned on in the early evening. Because of this tradition, we've actually taken to moving our family dinner up a few hours. We eat around 2:00 so that we have time to get down to the lighting ceremony by around 5:00.

After we clear away all the dishes, we always set our home alarm from home-alarm-systems.com/ for security before heading out. Then we pile up into several cars and drive down to the Plaza, where we attempt to find a parking space. After we've all parked, we meet up again on one of the busier streets, trying to get as close to where they will flip the switch as possible.

As soon as the lights turn on, the crowd cheers loudly and there are smiles all around. It's such a magical experience and the Plaza looks gorgeous when its all lit up. There are always carolers all around and lots of people laughing and singing along. I also love that the lights stay on through the whole holiday season, usually until the first or second week of January. They set the atmosphere perfectly for Christmas shopping and enjoying the festive nature of the season.

12/29/10

Last week I went to my first professional basketball game in years. My favorite team is the Golden State Warriors. Second year man Stephen Curry leads the Warriors. Stephen's father is Dell Curry who also played in the NBA. Father Dell could shoot, but his boy Stephen is pure.

He has one of the nicest strokes I've ever seen. Watching Stephen shoot the basketball brings back some sweet memories. I used to play some ball myself. I could also shoot a little. I once made twenty-six consecutive free throws during my junior year in high school.

Before I leave for the game, I set my home security alarm from Totalalarmsystems. The drive to the Oracle Arena, home of the Golden State Warriors is a long one. It's also sentimental, as I cruise past a couple of towns I once lived in.

I'll be meeting my friend Jim at the Oracle. Jim also played ball years ago. He's already in his seat as I plop down next to him. People are milling about as I gaze out at the basketball court, shinning like a brilliant chandelier. I like the symbolism of this. Basketball can be like a ballet to watch, with some of the most gifted athletes in the world, doing things that we mere mortals can only dream of doing.

12/21/10

Web hosting is required for any site to work online. This is the actual computer where website "lives" on the web. It is impossible to have a website on the web without it. Just like a word needs a mouth to express it, a website needs a host to express itself. They are symbiotic in their relationship.

Web hosting reviews are a dime a dozen online. Their numbers are nearly in the billions! Where do you start? You start right here. Searching and reading online will get you the results you need. You know what you want in a hosting company better than anyone on the planet. Now all you need to do is find out who can give you what you want at the best price.

Do you need lots of service? Not all companies will have a great customer service, even if they do have great tools on their site. Do you need Cpanel? Most people use Cpanel or FTP to load their site on the web. If a company has a good FAQ ( Frequently Asked Questions ) section, you could be online within the hour with your new site.

Think of web hosting as just a required part of doing business on the world wide web. Free blogs are usually not going to be able to allow you to do all the things you need. If you need to ask questions of visitors, you will need a dynamic site to help you do that. If you need to add forms, a free blog is out of the question. Find a company that knows what you need and use them.

My wife and I do just about everything together, and recently we decided to take on the very unique project of building ourselves a new house in Greenville, SC. Of course, we aren't experts on everything, but there are a lot of things we do know .I worked in construction for years, so I know a lot about what it takes to bring a home together. My wife is as tough as they come, and she has been right there beside me as if done a lot of my building projects throughout the years.

After several years of building off and on, we are nearly complete with our new home. We're proud of what we've done so far, but we want help with roofing and putting up new siding. I typed in sears roofing Greenville last night, and sure enough, I think we found something that'll work! We are so close to completing our big project. With just a little more help, our new home will finally be ready to live in. Fingers crossed!

12/14/10

Even though it's sad to see the college football season wind down, it's great to know that your favorite team made it to their conference championship; such is the case with the South Carolina Gamecocks. This is the first time the Gamecocks have made it to the conference championship since joining the SEC, and it's going to be a thriller against the undefeated Auburn Tigers.

Thank goodness I ordered DirectTV last week because my cable has been acting up lately, and I plan on taking advantage of a higher quality signal. I knew South Carolina was destined for greatness this season and making it to the championship only proves I was correct. The fact that they lost early in the season to Auburn doesn't matter now; what matters is the fact they have a chance to prove that Auburn's victory was a fluke.

South Carolina led the entire game but somehow decided to stop playing defense. After a blowout victory over rival Clemson, South Carolina only has to defeat Auburn to secure their place as champions of the Southeastern Conference. The ACC Championship between Florida State and Virginia Tech looks interesting as well; however, my focus is solely on the South Carolina Gamecocks.

12/11/10

When was the last time you took your weight loss pills ? If you are taking the wrong kind, the likely answer to that is; "Not too long ago.". The object of taking pills to lose weight is to lose weight. If that is not happening, perhaps it is time for a change. Whatever you do, forget about taking a weight loss pill with ephedra. It may be organic, but it has also been banned by the FDA. That was back in 2004, but is still applicable today. Taking ephedra can result in skin reactions, insomnia, headaches and perhaps heart problems.

Effective weight loss can be had without the need for ineffective pills. If you must take a pill, take one that actually works. Get online or start asking around for those who are taking the best weight loss pills. This will at least get you to their level, while you look for a more normal, more natural way to lose that weight.

If you have been taking pills to lose weight for more than a month and have seen little or no change, it is wise to start looking elsewhere. Sure, your health is affected negatively by your obesity, but two wrongs still do not make a right. Not even the new math will be on your side. Taking pills that do you no good not only waste your money, they put you under even more stress. Take a few moments to sit back, relax, and think clearly about the future. Pills should just be a temporary part of your efforts to lose weight.

12/9/10

Diet pills are still a popular way to try and keep the weight off. To avoid health problems, it is wise to do some study on the side effects of any diet pill you may be considering on buying. You only have one body and it is your sanctuary. You live there, so take extra care to only take the best diet pills.

Some diet pills contain ephedra, also called ephedrine. Some contain large amounts of caffeine. The secretary of health in the United States was asked to comment on the ephedra incident during the death of Steve Bechler, the 23-year-old Baltimore Orioles pitcher who died of heatstroke. He said; " I would not take it, would you ?". Ephedra has since been banned by the FDA, but ongoing litigation keeps it in the questionable limelight. Ephedra has been used for centuries in countries like China. It is an herb. Nevertheless, do your research before taking weight loss diet pills containing this ingredient.

What will be the best diet pills for you ? That should be a combination of what you feel is right, combined with the professional advice of an experienced health practitioner. The medical industry is trained in sickness, not in health. This means they have little training in nutrition. They are accustomed to treating sick people, and an overweight person is not sick, just overweight. Avoid those who do not have verifiable experience with a diet pill, no matter how much authority they say they have. Remember, you only have one body.

12/5/10

A Chicago Honda dealer with a good reputation is not going to send a lemon your way. Being careful with who you talk to when you are in the market for a used car will go a long way to finding this dealer. One of the best things to do is to talk to those who have already been through the process of looking for Chicago used cars.

Once you find a person ( or two ) who has bought a used car recently, get them to tell you what has happened. Did they feel like they got a deal ? Most people forget that the word "deal" is in the word "dealer" and is for the buyer, not the seller. Did anything break on their car ? If so, how was it handled ? There are a lot of questions to ask, and it is all for your benefit. One of the best questions to ask is; "What is your overall feeling about your purchase ?". If it is is positive, it is likely you will also have the same experience.

Car dealers in Chicago or whatever city are there to make a buck. If they are also concerned for their reputation, they will have many of their happy customers showing this. Look for the car dealer's name on a logo or perhaps a license plate holder of used cars in Chicago. Your best deal will be finding the car you want at the lowest price possible without a lot of extra expenses for upkeep. Once you know what you want, keep your eyes open for those signs of an agreeable purchase from past used car customers.

12/4/10

Today was an overwhelmingly busy day. The kids had soccer practice, band practice, dance classes, and a birthday party to attend. Sometimes I think my kids lead a more fascinating social life than many adults twice their age.

In any event, just when I thought it was "me" time and time to relax, the wife and kids wanted to go Christmas tree shopping. I asked my troops, "Really? Aren't we about a month and a half ahead of schedule?" I garnered some confused, unpleasant faces. "Alright, we'll venture out to pick out a Christmas tree," I said.

Of course, everyone was excited and in a rush to get out the door. So I grabbed my car keys, set the home security alarm (Home security Systems), and we were on our way to the Christmas tree farm. Before I knew it, we were bailing up TWO Christmas trees; yes, you read me correctly: TWO trees. It certainly goes without saying that our house will not lack festivity this year!

As is tradition with our family, we lit the fireplace, put on the Christmas music, and sipped piping hot mugs of hot cocoa. As I sat back in my recliner and watched the wife and kids decorate the trees, I thought to myself, "Now THIS is living."

12/3/10

Lucille Ball is one of my favorite television actresses. She's best known for her role as Lucy in the hit television show I Love Lucy. This particular program is one of my all time favorites. I have to admit that I'm a big sucker for old black and white tv. In fact, I once spent about twenty-four hours straight watching I Love Lucy on my satellite television from www.directstartv.com. Lucille Ball is really a wonderful actress and she can play some very versatile roles. I especially loved her in the candy factory episode of I Love Lucy.

I think she did a marvelous job of acting like a suburban housewife in the tv series. Some of the stunts she pulled were really hilarious. The only problem I had was the fact that her husband could never recognize her in a fake beard or mustache. I never understood how he couldn't tell that the red headed man that looked oddly like a woman was actually his wife!

But whatever the case, she was still a fantastic actress. I know a lot of my friends also like some of her television series. My mother especially loves I Love Lucy and we usually watch the marathons of it together when we're both home from work. I think Lucille Ball was really a talented performer who could fit any role she chose.

12/1/10

A number of people own a personal computer both intended for home or office needs and lots of those are hand-held computer devices. They are incredibly practical and provide exactly the same functions as the desktop versions. Users can easily be seated in a relaxed manner on their couches while working, or perhaps they might choose a laptop cart. The laptop carts are most likely comparable to typical computer tables or may be more compact sized since they don't need a great amount of space which a normal computer desk does.

With the advent of computers, a huge number of people around the globe relies on their laptop regularly therefore, investing in a laptop storage is essential, particularly if you are a student. As laptop computers could be used just about anyplace safety measures is a vital concern. There are numerous ways to protect your laptop to safeguard your own notebook computer from a number of thievery and attack.

Laptop cabinets are generally an effective way to keep lockers secure in schools and universities. There's a huge selection of cabinets that can be purchased. Most of the features are extremely safe triple lock doors. Most laptop security cabinets are, likewise, capable of charging different net books and notebook computers.

In addition there are cases where a single laptop is required to be stored. In this instance, a substantial security risk is present in losing your laptop or perhaps the files on it. Therefore, to secure one's laptop, you can find a laptop storage that has steel enclosures on it to keep your laptop safe.